Today I am providing a final readout on the performance of the Continental Pure Contact 245 / 19 tires that were installed on my 2020 Tesla Model S Long Range Plus about 2 years ago.
After 38k miles there is currently about 3/32 and 4/32 of tread remaining on these tires.
THE GOOD
Ride quality with Tesla's adaptive air suspension has been consistently great with Conti's on 19" wheels. I will never forget how astonished I was by the improvement in ride quality when I upgraded to Conti's after just 18k miles on the OEM Goodyear tires.
I have experienced no flats. My right rear tire developed a slow leak that was patched last year, but otherwise I've encountered no performance issues over 38k miles. Since there is no "noise insulating" foam in these tires I have not had to worry about separation issues which I experienced with the OEM tires.
Although the speed rating of the Conti's is slightly lower than the OEM Goodyear tires, I experienced absolutely no issues with vehicle handling over the life of the Conti's. Driving on wet pavement has been outstanding, although I did notice some slight loss of traction in wet weather on my final road trip on these tires a few weeks ago.
Tire noise during city driving is comparable to OEM tires.
THE BAD
At 38k miles, tire noise on the highway is noticeably louder than the OEM tires on the Model S. Most of the time tire noise is not an issue, unless I am listening to poorly sampled podcasts from certain news outlets or music selections that vary significantly in volume. My solution to tire noise on the highway is to turn the volume up 1 - 2 clicks higher than normal.
I have experienced some range loss with these tires, which I've estimated in the neighborhood of 10%. I've noticed that range loss can be significantly worse on some pavement types than others during long road trips.
FINAL VERDICT
These tires outlasted the OEM Goodyear tires by about 2x from a mileage point of view. In terms of safety, comfort, performance, and reliability I have absolutely no complaints.
From a value standpoint, the Conti's delivered twice the tread life and delivered better ride comfort for less money than the OEM Goodyear tires at the time of purchase.
Interestingly, the OEM Goodyear tires are now selling for about the same price as the Conti's, but honestly I wouldn't consider the OEM Goodyear tires even if they sold for 1/2 the price.
I wish the Conti's were quieter on the highway and of course I would prefer not having to sacrifice vehicle range, but overall I am very satisfied with the Conti's.
As I prepare to replace the tires on my vehicle, I am aware that EV specific tires have begun to hit the market. However, the data on tread life of these tires is limited and inconclusive.
I plan to install another set of Continental Pure Contact LS tires on my vehicle next week. Will revisit EV tires again in another 40k miles.....
After 38k miles there is currently about 3/32 and 4/32 of tread remaining on these tires.
THE GOOD
Ride quality with Tesla's adaptive air suspension has been consistently great with Conti's on 19" wheels. I will never forget how astonished I was by the improvement in ride quality when I upgraded to Conti's after just 18k miles on the OEM Goodyear tires.
I have experienced no flats. My right rear tire developed a slow leak that was patched last year, but otherwise I've encountered no performance issues over 38k miles. Since there is no "noise insulating" foam in these tires I have not had to worry about separation issues which I experienced with the OEM tires.
Although the speed rating of the Conti's is slightly lower than the OEM Goodyear tires, I experienced absolutely no issues with vehicle handling over the life of the Conti's. Driving on wet pavement has been outstanding, although I did notice some slight loss of traction in wet weather on my final road trip on these tires a few weeks ago.
Tire noise during city driving is comparable to OEM tires.
THE BAD
At 38k miles, tire noise on the highway is noticeably louder than the OEM tires on the Model S. Most of the time tire noise is not an issue, unless I am listening to poorly sampled podcasts from certain news outlets or music selections that vary significantly in volume. My solution to tire noise on the highway is to turn the volume up 1 - 2 clicks higher than normal.
I have experienced some range loss with these tires, which I've estimated in the neighborhood of 10%. I've noticed that range loss can be significantly worse on some pavement types than others during long road trips.
FINAL VERDICT
These tires outlasted the OEM Goodyear tires by about 2x from a mileage point of view. In terms of safety, comfort, performance, and reliability I have absolutely no complaints.
From a value standpoint, the Conti's delivered twice the tread life and delivered better ride comfort for less money than the OEM Goodyear tires at the time of purchase.
Interestingly, the OEM Goodyear tires are now selling for about the same price as the Conti's, but honestly I wouldn't consider the OEM Goodyear tires even if they sold for 1/2 the price.
I wish the Conti's were quieter on the highway and of course I would prefer not having to sacrifice vehicle range, but overall I am very satisfied with the Conti's.
As I prepare to replace the tires on my vehicle, I am aware that EV specific tires have begun to hit the market. However, the data on tread life of these tires is limited and inconclusive.
I plan to install another set of Continental Pure Contact LS tires on my vehicle next week. Will revisit EV tires again in another 40k miles.....
